The Doctor's Wife Chapter 12

In which Isabel Gilbert is treated to a grand birthday excursion crafted by her devoted husband, leading her through the stately halls and verdant groves of Warncliffe Castle and its surroundings, where she encounters the enchanting aristocratic Lansdell family, whose charm and refined airs kindle in her a hungry longing for a more beautiful and poetic life. Alone amidst the orchestration of joyous picnicking orphans and lively conversation, Isabel finds herself both dazzled and stirred by the presence of Roland Lansdell, the handsome and mysterious poet, whose very being seems to embody the romance and dreams that her own existence so palpably lacks.